What we learned from South Carolina’s men’s basketball trip to the Bahamas

The men’s basketball season doesn’t tip off until November, but Lamont Paris’ South Carolina team had the chance to play a pair of exhibition games in paradise over the weekend.

Per NCAA rules, schools are allowed to take foreign trips every four years, and the new-look Gamecocks took advantage of the opportunity by playing two games at Imperial Ballroom in the Bahamas.

Though the level of competition is not the same as what USC will face in the Southeastern Conference, the Gamecocks won both games they played overseas, beating Lithuania’s Zalgiris-2 team 86-60 in the first game and defeating Argentina’s Club Obras 106-67 in the final matchup.

“It’s great to see everybody get out there and compete with another team for the first time,” Paris said from the Bahamas, via USC communications. “We’ve been battling with each other for the last eight weeks or so. I think there was a lot of anticipation that was built up for this group to get out and play against somebody else.

“So I thought we handled that really well. Thought we moved the ball really well, that we were incredibly unselfish, thought we generated some good things offensively. And we made a couple of tweaks defensively that the guys responded to. So all in all, I thought it was just a great thing for the guys.”

Here are three key takeaways from USC’s time in the Bahamas.

Meechie Johnson picks up where he left off

With GG Jackson off to the NBA, point guard Meechie Johnson is South Carolina’s top returning scorer, and he filled up the stat sheet in both of USC’s weekend games.

Johnson led the Gamecocks with 20 points in Game 1 vs. Zalgiris-2, making eight of 14 field goals and four of nine 3-point attempts. He tied for the team lead in the second game with 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting (3-for-5 from beyond the arc) while also adding a team-high five assists.

Anyone who watched Johnson last year knows that the former Ohio State guard loves to shoot the ball from deep — sometimes several feet beyond the arc. After testing the waters in the NBA Draft process this summer, Johnson has worked to make his game more well-rounded. In particular, he’s been working on cutting more toward the basket and finishing near the rim instead of settling for jumpers early in a possession.

“He’s been really good,” Paris said. “Of the returners, we’ve had a lot of guys that have made a lot of real strides, and he’s one of them. Some of the passes — even at practice yesterday — he made some incredible passes through tight windows and hand delivered some shots to some guys. So he’s been doing a real good job of that. His shot selection has been great.

“I think the next thing is finishing at the basket, taking another step on that. And he’s improved on that, but getting even more effective around the rim, but I’ve been really happy with him.”

Gamecocks can shoot

One of the reasons Johnson should be able to cut more toward the basket this year is because the Gamecocks have added a handful of perimeter threats to the roster. Johnson won’t be the only one who can score from deep.

After the Gamecocks ranked 271st in the country in 3-point shooting percentage last year, they reeled in one of the top 3-point shooters in the SEC in the form of former Vanderbilt forward Myles Stute. Additions Ta’Lon Cooper (Minnesota) and B.J. Mack (Wofford) are also adept 3-point shooters. Despite his hulking 6-foot-8, 270-pound frame, the big man Mack doesn’t shy away from the perimeter.

The Gamecocks made 16 3-pointers in Game 1 and 17 more 3-pointers in Game 2 in the Bahamas, making 42.9% percent of their deep looks. Johnson and Stute both led the team with seven 3-pointers apiece between the two games, but Mack (five 3-pointers), Jacobi Wright (four 3-pointers) and Cooper (four 3-pointers) weren’t far behind.

“I like the 3,” Paris said. “The 3-ball is worth more points than the 2-ball, so I like them. I like them when they go in better, but they’re gonna be a part of what we do offensively. It’s not that we’re going to rely on that. We need to be able to generate some offense in other places, too. But I do think the days that we shoot the ball in from 3, it’ll open up a lot of things for the offense.”

Collin Murray-Boyles shines

A native of Columbia, freshman Collin Murray-Boyles has drawn consistent praise from the USC coaching staff for the way he developed his body — and his game — during his final year of high school and throughout the summer. Assistant coach Tanner Bronson told The State recently that he thinks the freshman has a chance to have “a pretty significant impact” on the Gamecocks this season.

The 6-foot-7, 231-pound forward produced when called upon in the Bahamas, making nine out of his 10 field-goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, and finishing the weekend with 20 points and eight rebounds.

“Collin was really good,” Paris said. “He’s active, he rebounds, he’s got a natural instinct to pursue the ball as a rebounder. He’s got really good hands. That’s a hard thing to teach, and he’s turned into an explosive offensive player in the last 365 days. He’s changed his body composition, and he’s explosive now, so just really excited about what he can bring.”